Notice of Availability, Cotterel Wind Power Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Resource Management Plan Amendment, 35692-35693 [05-12162]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35692-35693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12162]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-220-5101-ER-D025; IDI-33676]


Notice of Availability, Cotterel Wind Power Project Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement/Resource Management Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Lead Agency--Bureau of Land Management, Interior. Cooperating 
Agencies--U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; Bureau of 
Reclamation, Interior; Bonneville Power Administration; Idaho 
Department of Lands; Cassia County Commissioners. Participating 
Agency--Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Cotterel Wind Power Project Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement/Resource Management Plan Amendment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321); the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701), as amended; and the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Burley, Idaho Field 
Office of the Twin Falls District of the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), located in Cassia County, has prepared a draft environmental 
impact statement (DEIS)/resource management plan amendment (DEIS/
Amendment) to consider whether or not to grant a right-of-way and amend 
the 1985 Cassia Resource Management Plan (Cassia RMP).

DATES: Written comments will be accepted for 90 days following the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice Availability 
in the Federal Register. The BLM intends to hold three public meetings 
during the 90-day comment period, one each in Boise, Burley, and 
Albion, Idaho. BLM will announce all public meeting times and locations 
at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media news 
releases, and/or newsletter mailings. In addition, information on 
public meetings may be posted on the Internet at https://www.id.blm.gov/
planning/cotterel.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS/Amendment are available upon request from 
the Burley Field Office, Twin Falls District, 15 East, 200 South, 
Burley,

[[Page 35693]]

Idaho, 83318, phone 208-677-6678, or by email to scott_barker@blm.gov. 
You may request either a hard copy or a computer disc (cd). A copy of 
the DEIS/Amendment may also be posted on the Internet at https://
www.id.blm.gov/planning/cotterel.
    To receive full consideration, comments must be postmarked no later 
than the last day of the written comment period. (The last day of the 
written comment period may be identified at the Internet address above, 
after publication of the EPA Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register.)
    You may submit comments on the DEIS/Amendment using any of the 
following methods:
     Mail: Scott Barker, Project Manager, Burley Field Office, 
Twin Falls District, Bureau of Land Management, 15 East, 200 South, 
Burley, Idaho 83318.
     Fax: 208-677-6699.
     Email: id_cotterelwind@blm.gov.
     Hyperlink: id_cotterelwind@blm.gov.
    All public comments, including the names and mailing addresses of 
respondents, will be available for public review at the Burley Field 
Office in Burley, Idaho during regular business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published 
as part of the Final EIS/Amendment. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from 
public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 
please state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
correspondence. The BLM will honor such requests to the extent allowed 
by law. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in 
their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Barker, Project Manager, BLM 
Burley Field Office, 15 East, 200 South, Burley, Idaho 83318, phone 
208-677-6678, fax (209) 677-6699; or email: scott_barker@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Windland, Inc., in partnership with Shell 
Wind Energy, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Dutch/Shell 
Group of Companies, is proposing to construct, operate and maintain a 
wind-powered electric generation facility on the ridgeline of Cotterel 
Mountain, near the towns of Albion, Malta, and Burley, Idaho. The DEIS/
Amendment analyzes and discloses the effects of four alternatives, 
including the Proposed Action and No Action. Alternative A, the No 
Action Alternative, reflects existing direction in the Cassia RMP. 
Alternative B is the proponent's proposed action, as submitted in their 
right-of-way application. Alternative C, the agency preferred 
alternative, is a modification of the proposed action that includes 
fewer but larger-output wind turbines, alternative access, alternative 
transmission line locations, and alternative turbine types. Alternative 
D is a modified version of Alternative C with a reduced number of wind 
turbines.
    The proposed action is not consistent with the Cassia RMP, which 
does not allow for the granting of rights-of-ways in the proposed 
project area. Therefore, the proposed plan amendment would allow for 
the decision maker to grant a right-of-way should that person decide to 
do so.

    Dated: May 5, 2005.
Wendy Reynolds,
Burley Field Office Manager, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 05-12162 Filed 6-20-05; 8:45 am]
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